Weeelllll, since there is still 8" of ice on the lake, better just sit here and dream about fishing. What technique do you want to improve on in 2013.
Mine is a mental technique. My goal for the year is to stay a bit more focused on stuff that catches fish and not go crazy with the off the wall idea's at times. I'm going to beef my tackle up on proven baits and stick with them.
Develop better tournament game plans and become better at adapting and making adjustments on the fly...
I also need to continue to improve on reading electronics and deep cranking...
I need to become a little more precise with my fishing on LSC ......
I'm going to really try cranking more
I'm a walleye guy at heart and love trolling and I'm good with cranks
But for bass besides the early rattle trap jerk bait bite I never throw cranks
So this year, I'm going to woirk on cranking more
Tournament wise
I fish the week nights NBAA but I'm planning on hitting a few weekend end tournaments as well
Learning my electronics better and being much better at SLOWING down my fishing.
Always to better learn my electronics, and I still need lots of work on jig fishing.
Quote from: mikesmiph on March 03, 2013, 07:57:44 AM
Always to better learn my electronics, and I still need lots of work on jig fishing.
Mike, if you want to get better at jig fishing, you might as well start with quality jigs, like MOJO, I can't say enough good things about Kustom Kicker Jigs. Their products are high quality, affordable and the Freak has action like no other jig on the market. Plus they are made right here in Michigan!
I am going to seriously work on drop shoting this summer.
I need to keep working on the mental aspect of the sport along with making quick adjustments on the water with changing conditions
Also get much better with punching baits and finesse/swim jigs
Other than that I plan on spending time on new lakes I have never fished and also learn the Saginaw Bay
I'm gonna work on the final frontier of bass fishing. DEEP WATER techniques. I have lived in Michigan my whole life and the deepest I can remember catching a bass is about 15 fow. Need to work on my July/August fishing a lot and I think targeting deeper water will help. So a drop shot, reading electronics and deep cranking all are on the list.
Love the responses guys. Deep crankin and electronics are deffenetly a trend in fishing right now. Hate to call it a trend because it's stuff that is proven to work over decades now. That's exactly what I meant in my response. Fish with things and in areas where fish are, and stick with it.
Hey Gmetime, 1. Go Blue. Beat Sparty. 2. Punchin heavy grass is something I have really become fond of. It is a very addicting technique. Once you feel that thump on a 7'6" rod 3 feet away from you and a 5lb. bull comes charging out the matt, I promise you will be hooked. I do it alot on the lake I live on and won a couple bucks doin it too.
Quote from: Schoolycustom on March 03, 2013, 11:01:26 AM
Love the responses guys. Deep crankin and electronics are deffenetly a trend in fishing right now. Hate to call it a trend because it's stuff that is proven to work over decades now. That's exactly what I meant in my response. Fish with things and in areas where fish are, and stick with it.
Hey Gmetime, 1. Go Blue. Beat Sparty. 2. Punchin heavy grass is something I have really become fond of. It is a very addicting technique. Once you feel that thump on a 7'6" rod 3 feet away from you and a 5lb. bull comes charging out the matt, I promise you will be hooked. I do it alot on the lake I live on and won a couple bucks doin it too.
Yessir!! Big game today and GoBlue!!
I can't wait to start punching. My buddies and I have done a lot of research on it this off season and are rigged up an ready to start learning on the water. It's a new technique that I have never used so there is much to learn for me
1) Knowing when to move. Sometime I just think it my lack of ablity to catch fish. Sometimes there are just now fish (this big on St. Clair, not so much inland).
2) Getting more confidence with a jig.
3) Using my time on the water more effectively.
Great topic.
1) Continue improving with a jig. I had some great days last spring fishing a jig rather than relying on plastics. I need to keep it up.
2) Get a list of spots on GTB. Found a couple sweet spots last June that really produced and since I am staying in Elk Rapids for 3 weeks this June I expect to get completely dialed in with spots from multiple launches.
3) Enjoy my tournaments. I am fishing a local, very laid-back tournament trail for the first time in several years. I need to not focus on the results rather concentrate on just having a good time. In the past I have let my competitiveness and disappointment get in the way of having fun. Enjoy my successes more and my lackluster days less.
4) Fish more. I have found that too often I stay at home because the conditions are not favorable. I wouldn't mind hitting a cold front, bluebird sky day right now but unfortunately it is 30 degrees with a bunch of ice on the lakes.
5) Keep fishing in the summer. I hate the heat and sweating while fishing. I need to combat this more and get out more in July and August.
6) Fish southern Lake Michigan more.
7) Get back to some techniques I have gotten away from- swimjigs, flickshake, wacky senkos,
Quote from: Redbone on March 03, 2013, 08:37:05 AM
I am going to seriously work on drop shoting this summer.
Omg. Big daddy, finally I can return a favor and help w. this. Lemme know when n where this summer. It's my strongest suit.
Quote from: Schoolycustom on March 03, 2013, 11:01:26 AM
Love the responses guys. Deep crankin and electronics are deffenetly a trend in fishing right now. Hate to call it a trend because it's stuff that is proven to work over decades now. That's exactly what I meant in my response. Fish with things and in areas where fish are, and stick with it.
Hey Gmetime, 1. Go Blue. Beat Sparty. 2. Punchin heavy grass is something I have really become fond of. It is a very addicting technique. Once you feel that thump on a 7'6" rod 3 feet away from you and a 5lb. bull comes charging out the matt, I promise you will be hooked. I do it alot on the lake I live on and won a couple bucks doin it too.
Can we get out and you show me this ? I know Lake Orion mats up and it good, but until Kustoms Kicker came out with that Mat Punch Jig ( has the hook stilt ring offset from the 1.5 oz wt so the fish has no leverage), I had no luck keeping the fish on. Lets KIT and maybe we can exchange techniques. Etc.
I'm going to stick too what I know works best. Last year I did just that and cought more fish. There is something to be said about being confident in what you do, and sticking to the basics. Besides I'm running out of room in my boat and tackle boxes For more baits and lures.
The main thing I'm looking to improve is decision making. Know when to leave when to stay. I have that go through my head every tournament and I usually 2nd guess myself.
Quote from: markgoetsch on March 03, 2013, 08:23:16 PM
The main thing I'm looking to improve is decision making. Know when to leave when to stay. I have that go through my head every tournament and I usually 2nd guess myself.
I do that alot too....But mine is get more than 1 kicker fish..It seems like I can get one but usually not 3 or 4.So i guess try to duplicate what I wa doing to catch that 1st one and try to hone in on that. ???
Learning to fish jigs more remains on my list as a carryover from last year. Going to start throwing tubes more often this year too. Not sure what to think of drop shot tubes though.
Mojo,
custom kicker has the head rush jig.
that just sounded like i know something about jigs, but dont worry, i dont
Last year I worked on improving my jig techniques. This year it's gonna be swim baits. Much like frogging, I tend to swing a bit early on the strike.
I see electronics is a big item. we as an organization should try and arrange an in debt, hands on seminar on what ever brands we have. Again, last year, I attended the one at D&R and it was informative but not that in debt.I have HB gear and that 898 can do a lot if you take the time and know how to use it. From casting rings to adjusting the SI, HB has got it going on. You don't have time to fish if you play with that for one day.
Quote from: huston on March 04, 2013, 08:34:57 AM
I see electronics is a big item. we as an organization should try and arrange an in debt, hands on seminar on what ever brands we have. Again, last year, I attended the one at D&R and it was informative but not that in debt.I have HB gear and that 898 can do a lot if you take the time and know how to use it. From casting rings to adjusting the SI, HB has got it going on. You don't have time to fish if you play with that for one day.
I think a lot of us are in debt which is what got us into trouble to begin with.
1) Try to follow the fish more. On lakes I'm familiar with, I tend to fish where they were at that time last year. I'm making a serious effort to follow them across the season.
2) Make sure I have a better spread of baits tied on. I need to be better at knowing when to throw a spinner bait vs. a shallow crank, etc.
3) Change my line more often. Not that I don't change it often, but to vary my line size/type for different parts of the season. Thinner line for deeper cranking, thicker for traps, etc.
But mostly get my but out on the water more often to prefish.
Quote from: YpsiBass on March 04, 2013, 09:51:54 AM
Quote from: huston on March 04, 2013, 08:34:57 AM
I see electronics is a big item. we as an organization should try and arrange an in debt, hands on seminar on what ever brands we have. Again, last year, I attended the one at D&R and it was informative but not that in debt.I have HB gear and that 898 can do a lot if you take the time and know how to use it. From casting rings to adjusting the SI, HB has got it going on. You don't have time to fish if you play with that for one day.
I think a lot of us are in debt which is what got us into trouble to begin with.
In debt from buying Electronics.... :D ;)
Quote from: motocross269 on March 04, 2013, 11:53:31 AM
Quote from: YpsiBass on March 04, 2013, 09:51:54 AM
Quote from: huston on March 04, 2013, 08:34:57 AM
I see electronics is a big item. we as an organization should try and arrange an in debt, hands on seminar on what ever brands we have. Again, last year, I attended the one at D&R and it was informative but not that in debt.I have HB gear and that 898 can do a lot if you take the time and know how to use it. From casting rings to adjusting the SI, HB has got it going on. You don't have time to fish if you play with that for one day.
I think a lot of us are in debt which is what got us into trouble to begin with.
In debt from buying Electronics.... :D ;)
Finally an in depth analysis!
jigs, docks w/bullet craws, dropshot. all in all just more fishing time. although i just found out our street is getting totally ripped out and repaved, i got to call livonis for more info on use of the street during construction ::)
Quote from: Mojo on March 04, 2013, 05:49:43 PM
I want to become a better rapper ......
Little Mrs Muffion sat in a Champion
Draggin a tube when she felt a twitch -
Along came a spider who sat down beside her and said,
"Man you missed that fish B---- " :o
rangers are red basscats are blue you $uck at this too
Aaahhhhhh ROBLMAO !! ;D.
Above: Oh snap dogg!!! :o Like what you guys said about the more mental side of fishing. When to move, where to look, when to throw what. That's not something I wrote in my first post but definitely something I can work on.
what isnt there to improve?
I'm going to find some new spots and learn to catch fish off of them on as many different techniques as I can. I did that for much of 2012. I didn't fish as many days in 2012 but did find new spots and spent time figuring them out on many different trips that I did make. I want to find more river largemouths in the St. Clair and Detroit Rivers. This is a virtually untapped resource and what I've already learned is nothing less than amazing.............at least in my mind. Pictures on my Facebook Timeline will show you what I've already found in last two seasons. There are many more areas to tap and I know I have just hit the tip of the iceberg. I am excited about it. Of course there is always something to learn about smallies and how they live. I learned lots of stuff last year up the St. Clair River when it got really hot through July and August and I plan on expanding on that this year. Most importantly, I want to make the most of my time out on the water. In other words, I'm going to try to make good decisions pertaining to how long do I stay or not stay in one area. Most anglers struggle with this. All your life you can be should have, would have, could have, and how do you know that you should have stayed or should have left. How about coming back to areas. If you didn't get anything there two hours ago why would you come back. How about four hours ago. Would you go back. But then you can always ask yourself about moving forward and not going back. How about just going fishing. I tend to do this more and then I don't psych myself out. So many times I see anglers second guessing themselves and psyching themselves out. Keeping an open mind is key. You can't dissect an area if you don't keep an open mind. Practice that. Keeping an open mind. It's probably the toughest thing to do. After all, we're only human...........
Only 48 more days until catch and release. See you there!!!! 8)
BD ;D
I'm working on my physical endurance and stamina. I find that by noon in a tournament, my body is pretty tired and then I mentally start to check out. The last couple hours tend to be a grind and I don't really think about adjustments I should be making. Weight lifting and walking and cardio this winter.
Going to become better at cranking and jigging this year. Caught my biggest tournament fish on them last year but still not feeling confident with them. I always fall back to dropshots and senkos to quickly....
I like that idea of staying in good shape and working on your endurance. Some people don't realize what a grind it can be on a long tournament day. It's just as important to have your body feeling good so you can stay focused until the end of the day
I need to get better when the water is colder. I struggle most at the beginning and the end of the season.
Quote from: gmetime24 on March 08, 2013, 09:21:21 AM
I like that idea of staying in good shape and working on your endurance. Some people don't realize what a grind it can be on a long tournament day. It's just as important to have your body feeling good so you can stay focused until the end of the day
Nutrition helps with this as well. I have to force myself to eat and take it fluids (besides coffee). I also found that getting to sleep EARLY is the best. Getting back to the hotel and getting in a good meal and being in bed by 8:30 was the key for me. And no beer either- that can wait till I get back home. I'd wake up at 3:30-4:00 AM and feel awesome while the other guys who stayed up drinking till 10-11 PM would have a hard time getting started. LOL- it took me a year or so to figure this out.
I thought speedway was the preferred breakfast of tournament fishermen
Quote from: Frank on March 09, 2013, 01:31:28 PM
I thought speedway was the preferred breakfast of tournament fishermen
Mojo 'likes' this quote. Facebook is having weird societal impacts.
Quote from: Mojo on March 10, 2013, 12:41:51 PM
Quote from: Frank on March 09, 2013, 01:31:28 PM
I thought speedway was the preferred breakfast of tournament fishermen
Mojo 'likes' this quote. Facebook is having weird societal impacts.
what do you mean the fire place looks great every time you post it? hahahaha no really it does
put a new fulton winch on the trailer today, look great and did some clean up work on the basscat and it's looking good, we just need some soft water
Shhhhhh those are my domestic bliss chips. The more I get done this winter, the more I collect, the more I can fish lol.
So far she thinks I've completed 3 fireplaces...... Yuck yuck
Quote from: Mojo on March 10, 2013, 07:12:05 PM
Shhhhhh those are my domestic bliss chips. The more I get done this winter, the more I collect, the more I can fish lol.
So far she thinks I've completed 3 fireplaces...... Yuck yuck
hahaha, you better hurry up and do some trim painting, shower cleaning, rug shampooing, grout cleaning etc., don't forget to be all peey about missing the LSC t b/c of the vagas trip, that right there should get two extra weekends of fishing with the "boys", oh btw if i had to go to vegas i'd look up some desert racing school and blow my cash on that. http://www.americanadventuretours.com/racecar.html
Bob,
I you could drive it might be worth the 1k
But 1k for a 2 hour bumpy dirty ride wouldn't be on my list of things to do
A new thought on what I want to improvee for 2013... I need to forget what I did yesterday, last week, last year on a body of water. I need to approach each outing as a new one, while keeping some of what I learned in mind. It's a tough balance.
Vic
That's the way to think about it! How many times have I heard (adjust to your particular memory) "we caught 'em good here in August?!?" - all the variations on that theme have caused a lot less catching.
the first time on the water friday night and the water temp was 65 on the north side and 59 on the south side, the north side was rough so i found some calmer water and fished swim jig and a spinner bait and ended up with only 2 12" bass on a 1/16th jig with a mini fluke. tried a red red eye shad but no takers.
spent some money over the winter but come spring i get some serious brain fart!!forgot what i learned from all the Mark Zona videos i watched . is there hope for me? :D
Yes. Sure. There's always hope.
Hopefully...